Written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
Art by Renato ArlemDetermined to build a New York-based criminal empire, the manically manipulative Zebediah Killgrave, A.K.A the Purple Man, has stolen back from Misty Knight his original “Heroes for Hire” initiative, utilizing his vast super villain network of contacts to build his team of specialized agents.
Writing duo Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning are back in the business of employing super-people, but this time, instead of heroes, they’re putting super-villains to work in Villains for Hire, a new six issue mini-series that kicked off this week.
So, reader… are you for hire? The answer’s behind the jump!
Full disclosure, I didn’t read a single issue of Abnett and Lanning’s Heroes for Hire. I really enjoy DnA, but there’s only so many dollars to go around in a month, and I didn’t pick it up. Still, like most of my favorite after-the-fact comics, word of mouth has told me nothing but good things about it that now cancelled title, so when I heard about Villains for Hire, I figured what the heck, give it a try. And now, well, that might not have been the best idea.
What I was able to gather from the issue, is that at some point in the past, the Purple Man came up with and subsequently lost control of the Heroes for Hire, and is now reclaiming his idea, and using bad guys this time instead of good guys. His field team consists of Avalanche, Shocker, and a new, female version of Death Stalker. Doing his best Lynne Thigpen-impression (which I DO KNOW is a carry over gag from Misty Knight in Heroes for Hire), Purple Man puts his team in motion stealing an armored car. But just when things are going good, a handful of non-affiliated baddies show up and throw a wrench in the whole operation, and leave Purple Man’s hired-help pretty much empty handed, and PM himself wondering what the just happened.
The issue ends with a twist that I’m sure will please those folks who read the book’s forerunner, even if it isn’t necessarily a bombshell revelation. I mean, really, I’m a newbie to this little corner the Marvel and I had already figured it out, so…
You don’t have to be fully indoctrinated into the For Hire-Verse to see that Abnett and Lanning have a good handle on the characters. The variety of personalities allow DnA to play with a lot of different voices, and like their work on Guardians of the Galaxy and Legion before that, they’re able to move a lot of players around on the board without it ever feeling jumbled or confusing. They make big character pieces like this look easy.
And there were several points where it felt like I was reading a Gail Simone issue of Secret Six or the Suicide Squad (not the latest incarnation, mind you). If you’re trying to get me to like your book, there are far worse comic books you could remind me of, I’ll tell you that. However, despite having the same kind of familiar set-up, Villains for Hire #1 lacks what those other villain-centric titles have, and that’s a really strong lead character to grab onto. Where’s my Catman? Where’ my Rick Flagg or my Deadshot, guys?
Renato Arlem’s art is nice and clean, if maybe just a little rushed-looking in spots. He’s definitely a student of the Mike Perkins/Steve Epting/Butch Guice school of drawing comics, which gives Villains for Hire a look similar in tone to that of books like Captain America and Union Jack. Marvel seems to be relying on this as sort of style as their own house brand when it comes to telling street level and intrigue-heavy stories.
Villains for Hire #1 is by no means a bad book. DnA are two of the most talented and prolific creators working in the business, and they know how to write a comic, and Arlem’s doing good work, too. But it’s definitely a spinoff of Heroes for Hire, and nearly every thread of this issue feels like it. Villains for Hire is probably a good time for those who were reading the book’s previous incarnation, but it’s not exactly what I’d call a jumping on point.
Final Verdict: 7.5 – If you read Heroes for Hire, it’s a can’t miss. If not, well…
